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aileron's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Gore, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, and Rape
Moderate: Self harm and Animal death
Minor: Body shaming and Classism
kaidonpeterson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i'm going to be thinking about this for a while. my favorite blend of easy to take at face value but PLENTY of themes to dig into if you want. written impeccably, the best unreliable narrator i've ever read. this is what "my year of rest and relaxation" and "bunny" wanted to be in my opinion. this feels like the blueprint that books will copy for years to come. only thing i didn't love is the mother and how she was written. she was extremely one dimensional for being such a big part of the story, and every other character being really multi-faceted. is that the point? perhaps, but it still wasn't my favorite thing. overall, banger introduction to get me back into reading.
readingwithbia's review against another edition
O livro parecia muito interessante, estava muito entusiasmada para o ler. No entanto, já li mais de 60% do livro e não aconteceu nada interessante, parece apenas a descrição demasiado pormenorizada do dia a dia de uma pessoa problemática. Não me senti envolvida na história, e passei 224 páginas a prever uma reviravolta que nunca aconteceu. Estou muito desiludida.
gcdelcoure's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jbjohns's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
acwhit17's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kpcrossy's review against another edition
3.0
3/5 ⭐️: violent and dark story, centred on an unhinged and unreliable anti-hero. Irina is a photographer who takes explicit pictures of men she scouts as fetish models. Her obsession with them inverts the male gaze, reducing each to “boy parts.” Irina is a complex character: at best she has an overly-inflated opinion of herself, and at worst, she’s narcissistic, manipulative, and spiralling dangerously out of control. I wanted the book to interrogate gender, sexuality, and power dynamics more closely. All of these themes are touched on, but more in passing. I felt like the character of Irina was so unlikeable that it distracted from the book’s deeper meanings. Having said that, I think it’s intentionally confronting, and supposed to point us back towards our own internalised misogyny. If so, I maybe need a second read to better appreciate this one…but I’m not in a hurry to spend time with Irina again (FWIW, I loved Clark’s other book “Penance” and would 100% recommend it!)
sallyrooneystanclub's review against another edition
5.0
If you like an unlikable and unreliable narrator doing horrible and unhinged things then this book is for you. I was hooked. She's vile.
makingandbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Outstanding. Loved this. Utterly obsessed with Irina and her distorted view of herself and her world. The whole book is deeply disturbing, told from Irina's perspective who is an incredible unreliable narrator. As her mental health deteriorates, her substance abuse worsens and the line between reality and imagination blurs. Did she commit murder or was it all imagined? That's up to the reader to decide and I have a feeling I'm going to be thinking about this one for a long time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Eating disorder, Vomit, and Sexual violence
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
keirr_a's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25